Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Istanbul outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint-Etienne and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint-Etienne and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,441
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $2,272 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,272
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $3,103 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,103
Istanbul $3,281

Saint-Etienne is about 7% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Etienne and Istanbul sit above the global median – Saint-Etienne by 7%, Istanbul by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$12.30 ₺609

35.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$54.7 ₺2,708

3.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$9.22 ₺456

46.20%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$4.40 ₺218

-53.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.68 ₺83.1

105.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.59 ₺29.40

174.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$4.70 ₺233

8.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$5.91 ₺292

-6.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.21 ₺60.0

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.89 ₺44.10

28.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.19 ₺108

-0.91%

Eggs

$3.04 €2.71

$2.35 ₺116

29.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 €15.49

$10.42 ₺516

67.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$5.65 ₺280

93.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 €14.61

$20.94 ₺1,037

-21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.90 ₺94.1

80.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.31 ₺114

12.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.28 ₺63.1

89.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.80 ₺89.0

57.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.65 ₺32.16

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.64 ₺31.91

167.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.25 ₺62.1

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.56 ₺27.58

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 €10.87

$2.37 ₺118

415.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 €8.99

$13.42 ₺664

-24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.40 ₺119

43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.48 ₺172

-2.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.89 ₺43.84

103.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.03

$67.4 ₺3,338

-41.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.29 ₺64.1

110.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 ₺72.9

40.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.9K €17.7K

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-60.72%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.5K €28.9K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-26.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$168 €150

$88.6 ₺4,387

89.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.15 €25.93

$11.59 ₺574

151.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 €16.71

$15.81 ₺783

18.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.48 €27.11

$77.2 ₺3,820

-60.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 €5.90

$22.74 ₺1,126

-70.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$8.14 ₺403

21.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$984 €875

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-2.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-38.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 €62.8

$54.0 ₺2,671

30.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 €26.77

$40.83 ₺2,021

-26.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$98.9 ₺4,895

4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$96.6 ₺4,783

59.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 €468

$985 ₺48.7K

-46.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 €326

$650 ₺32.2K

-43.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 €786

$1,983 ₺98.2K

-55.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$1,180 ₺58.4K

-39.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,494

$3,138 ₺155.4K

-46.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 €1,451

$1,780 ₺88.1K

-8.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,205 €1,961

$1,205 ₺59.7K

82.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

40.92

-91.03%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5%

Istanbul

$650 41.9% 77.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 24.1% $83

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 12.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$216 15%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 46.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 18.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Istanbul

$93 6% 85.9% $43

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 55.9% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Saint-Etienne versus $985 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Saint-Etienne, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Saint-Etienne versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $260 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

06:39 6:39 AM

1 h ahead of Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Istanbul 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint-Etienne vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,162 per month in Saint-Etienne and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Etienne, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $984 per month in Saint-Etienne and $1,008 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Istanbul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Etienne, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Saint-Etienne it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saint-Etienne – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Saint-Etienne. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.